Downside to Diplomacy
by Deans Addiction
Summary: Sometimes being a diplomat has its drawbacks. After eating something on an alien planet, Kirk isn't feeling too good. Bones is there to look after him. Non slash. Just some good old friendship hurt/comfort. Will be multi-chapter but not too long.
1. Kirks POV

Materializing on the transporter pad back aboard the Enterprise, Kirk gave a sigh of relief. He loved exploring new worlds and meeting new people and races. He was an adventure addict. But sometimes what he loved didn't agree with him, especially when it came to alien foods. He didn't have a weak stomach by any means, but the human digestive system is still evolving to include the ability to digest alien cuisine.

The Drogoan ceremony he had just been attending had no shortage of entertainment with their cultures version of belly dancing (much to Jims delight) but the platters of freshly slaughtered _lanister_ (a type of feral, scaled lion) made even Jim hesitant to accept the offering, especially when he was informed it was an honour to eat the still beating heart that was as big as his hand and still oozing the foul smelling purple blood-like substance. Since he was there on a mission to assess the Drogoan as potential members of the federation he graciously accepted his 'meal' and ate it while the gathering all watched on. This was the first time an outsider had been given such an honour and Kirk was absolutely going to treat the ceremony with the respect it deserved. His only reprieve being that it was near the end of the ceremony so he only had to hang in for about another hour before they could beam up.

Despite priding himself on being able to handle almost any situation, injury or illness he found himself lasting only 45 minutes before faking an on-board situation that required his attention and making his apologies for an early exit. Spock, thankfully, had agreed to remain on board the ship in the event that something was to happen to the captain then Spock could get the ship and the crew safely back into federation space. The Drogoans are a volatile, superstitious race by nature, not unworthy of becoming members of the federation but still a race not to be underestimated. It had been requested that the captain attend the ceremony alone but they had negotiated to allow two security officers to accompany him. Right now Kirk was glad for that because he highly doubted Spock would have backed his play at an early exit without any questions or creating a 'scene'.

Back on the transporter pad and Kirk was adamant he was absolutely not going to throw up in front of any member of his crew, except maybe Bones but he wasn't here so I digress. He took a deep breath to settle his stomach before attempting to speak and move. Turning to the two security officers "gentleman return to your stations" he said as he walked off while opening his communicator, "Kirk to Spock – I have returned from the ceremony. You have the bridge, plot a course back to federation space." He couldn't think of an excuse as to why he was not returning to the bridge, but thankfully it was only 30minutes before he was off duty anyway so the Vulcan should have no reason to question why the captain was not returning to his post after coming back from an away mission.

He felt his cheeks flush with anxiety as he rounded the corner to enter his room. As he entered the security of his quarters he felt himself relax a little and his stomach ease. He stood there for another moment making sure the feeling was indeed passing before making his way to the bathroom and having a shower. At times like these he had no issues spending the extra credits to have a proper shower with real water, not those sonic vibrations. Still feeling a little uneasy, but much better than he had felt he dried himself and got changed into his civilian clothes. He decided to begin his report on his mission to the Drogoan planet, _no reason to sit around and waste time_ he thought. Unfortunately his body had other ideas. Half way through his report he began to get stomach cramps, a dull ache at first but it grew into the sensation of hot metal drilling into the centre of his gut, just below his diaphragm, causing him to double over in pain and pant in an attempt to keep breathing. Then the room started spinning, _this is not good_. He didn't know how long he had been there for, time wasn't exactly something he was focussing on right now, instead he was focussing on trying to breathe and not pass out or vomit, and especially avoiding doing both at the same time. He didn't notice the door open, and someone come inside.

To Be Continued...

**Authors Note: I had to update this chapter because it has been a while since I have published anything I forgot to add the 'to be cont' at the bottom to let people know the story isn't finished yet. Oops!**

**Cookies to anyone who can figure out some of my references. **

**Reviews greatly appreciated. It has been a while since I have written anything so feedback helps build my confidence. Hope you enjoy :)**

**Regards,**

**DA.**


	2. Bones POV

**Authors note: WOW! Thank you so much for taking the time to read this, and a big thank you to everyone who has been kind enough to leave a lovely review. It makes me happy to check my inbox and see that people are enjoying my story :)**

**Hope you enjoy this chapter.**

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Bones was mad. He wasn't surprised when Jim had failed to show up to sickbay after returning from the planet. It was hard enough to get Jim anywhere near the place when we was the walking wounded, so of course it was too much to expect him to show up out of a matter of mere protocol. But Bones felt this niggling in his gut that something wasn't right. He was a man of science, he didn't rely on gut feelings, at least he didn't before he met Jim Kirk. Now he has learnt not to ignore anything remotely related to his captain. So when his friend was an hour late for his scheduled check-in with sickbay Bones went looking for his patient.

Arriving at the bridge he was expecting to see Jim with that smart-arse grin of his and was preparing for a rant, but when he noticed the distinct lack of Jims presence the knot in his stomach tightened. "Where is the arrogant little sod?" he asked to no one in particular, attempting to hide his unfounded concern.

"Might I enquire to whom you are referring?" Spock looked at him with that cocked eyebrow of his, "Jim!, he was due to check into sickbay after he returned from the planet. Could've fooled me, but I thought the captain was bound to follow protocol…" Bones said the last part under his breath knowing full well the Vulcan could hear but others couldn't. Before he could say any more Spock interrupted him "The captain is currently off-duty, perhaps you should try his quarters" Spock was obviously not going to entertain the doctors presence on the bridge any longer so McCoy made his way to the turbo lift to go to Kirks quarters. The Vulcan was still unsure how to respond to McCoy's way of speaking about his friend, the captain. McCoy knew that if he wanted to Spock could charge him for speaking disrespectfully about the captain, but while Spock didn't understand the relationship that McCoy and Kirk have, he knew it that under all of the banter and fake aggression that it was one of respect and admiration.

He was already standing outside of Kirks door when he came out of his little daydream. He needed to call it a night, he had been off duty for the last hour himself but had busied himself with paperwork while he waited for the captain to check into sickbay. Pressing the buzzer to the captains quarters his concern doubled when there was no response. Using his medical override code to unlock the door he was momentarily stunned at what he saw. Kirk was curled up in a ball on the floor between his desk and his bed, the chair and a data padd were also laying haphazard on the floor telling him that Jim had collapsed while sitting at his desk. A second later he was sprinting to his friends side.

"Jim! Jim, can your hear me?" trying to roll Kirk onto his back so he could see what was wrong he could now see Kirks eyes were screwed shut with pain that creased his forehead like a klingon. He also noticed the heat that was beginning to radiate off his shaking body. Kirk was unresponsive except for the groan he let out when Bones tried to roll him, but he was curled into himself with such force that Bones couldn't manipulate him to get a better look.

Desperate to find out what was wrong with his friend McCoy did what any good doctor would do to an unresponsive patient – he rubbed his knuckles deeply into Jims spine to make it hurt more than Jims current pain to shock his brain into being alert momentary. It worked. He got a glimpse of those unearthly blue eyes. They were glazed and unfocused but Jim managed to look up and say "Bones?.." before he lost the fight and collapsed into McCoys arms. For a second Bones thought that Kirk was completely unconscious but as a shiver went through Jims body he curled in on himself and began to pant again.

Sitting on the floor on his knees with Jim curled in a ball across his lap Bones cursed as he realised he had dropped his medical bag containing his medical scanner and communicator just out of arms reach. "Jim, I'm gonna have to move you, I'm sorry" he said as he tried to wriggle his legs into a better position to lever himself as he reached over to grab the strap of his bag. Overstretching himself he managed to grab it first try, barely moving Jim from his current position on top of his lap. Opening up the scanner he began to move it over Kirks body to collect the data he needed.

"Bones?.."

"Yeah Kid I'm here! Talk to me, can you tell me what's wrong?" Bones was shifting his gaze from Jim to the scanner and back again

"Ate sumfin'. Gah…it was…" was all he managed before his eyes rolled and all of the colour drained from his face. Bones didn't even flinch as his friend vomited limply.

"I get the idea kid. You just shut up and let me do the rest huh! McCoy to Medical…"

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**I know, I know, I'm nasty. But I had to leave you something to nibble on while I write the next chapter. More Kirk!Whump and Bones!Caring to come :)**

**It may take a few days for the next chapter to appear, I am in the middle of training for my new job and my first year of uni so free time is a bit of a luxury at the moment. But never fear, my love for fanfic is greater than my love for online training so I won't leave you hanging too long.**


	3. Chapter 3

**So sorry for the wait folks! Hope I didn't torture you too much...lets just say that apparently it helps to pay your bill if you want to keep using the internet, LOL.**

**There are only a few chapters to go but don't worry, they are each filled with plenty of Sick!Jim and Bones. Hope you are still enjoying it.**

**Just a reminder that I in no way own, nor am I affiliated with Star Trek. If I was then I would have sole rights to Chirs Pine :)**

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Jim was unconscious when they carried him into sickbay. He remained unconscious while Bones ran a multitude of scans. But Jim was never down for long. When he managed to regain consciousness he had to blink a few times before his brain caught up with him and told him he was on a biobed, it only took him another second before he realised he still felt like hell.

"Bones?" his throat was dry and everything still felt kind of numb so he inwardly cringed when he heard his voice and hoped like hell that no one else thought it sounded like a whinging child, but he needed to know what was happening, so he decided to call for the doctor. But above all else he was the captain, and damned if he was going to stay in sickbay for everyone to gawk at him while he was feeling miserable. He was going to get out of here.

"Oh good your awake, how do you feel?" Bones made a point to stare him in the eye while he ran a tricorder over him, _huh like that's going to stop me from lying my arse off to get out of here_ he thought.

"I'm fine, you did a great job. Thanks Bones" he put on his best 'everything is good with the universe' smile and went to jump off the bed. The jackhammers threatening to split his skull from the inside out were the first to protest at the movement, followed closely by the shards of glass currently taking up residence in his stomach.

"that good huh" Bones watched as Jim went to get off the bed only to have his pupils dilate, and double over in sync with all the blood draining from his face. He knew the cocky bastard had to attempt to break out and fail before he would listen to his doctor, so he let him think he was winning, but as Jim began to buckle at the knees he decided that was long enough. Grabbing Kirk with one arm around the waist to hold him up and another arm across the shoulders to guide him back onto the bed Bones set him down on the edge and gave him a minute to compose himself again.

Cradling his head with one hand and his stomach with the other Jim decided that that might not have been such a good idea.

"You're having a reaction to the food you ate on the planet but I can't isolate the protein that your reacting too so all I can do is manage your symptoms, the good news is that it shouldn't take more than a day or two to leave your system. Looks like you're just going to have to ride this one out" he couldn't really be angry with the kid, for once he didn't get this way as a result of recklessness, he was suffering as a result of his duty as a captain to be diplomatic.

"Awesome! When can I leave?" the fact that Jim hadn't moved from his current position told Bones that he was still dizzy and nauseated, he wasn't due for another hypo for a while so all he could do was hope that his friend had enough sense to just lie back and let his body do all the work.

"I'm not clearing you for duty until I'm satisfied your system is clear. Which means I have to put up with your sorry arse for at least another 24 to 48hours." That earned him a cold glare from his patient

"24 hours! Bones I have a ship to run, a report to file and a small matter of diplomacy that involves a video conference with Starfleet at 07:00hrs. Now I appreciate you looking out for me but I don't have time to sit around and watch you growl around sickbay!..." he wasn't really mad at Bones he had only recently been reinstated as ships captain after the incident with Khan and sent on his first deep-space mission a little over 6 months ago. He was determined not to screw this up, he had lost his ship once, no twice, before and he would rather die than let it happen a third time. He didn't care that the room was spinning around him and that he was shaking after his little rant, he just wanted to go to his quarters where he could rest in peace and work on his report to Starfleet that was due in a little under 7 hours, and he hated constantly having to prove himself to Starfleet.

"Spock can do all that, you've got 24 hours and if I'm happy with your condition I will release you. It's not up for discussion" he sat there staring daggers into the CMOs back as he walked off. He couldn't make a move now because he knew McCoy would be expecting that, so he just lay back with his hands behind his head and closed his eyes, not to sleep, but to control the spinning in his head that was surprisingly overwhelming.

What felt like an hour or two later Ensign Ortega and Ensign Harrison came in each sporting their fair share of injuries, all minor contusions and bruising. The captain in him wanted to race over and demand to know what happened, but the boy from Iowa in him recognised a fight injury when he saw one. As he listened to the two ensigns explain that it was a friendly sparring match and that both were too stubborn admit defeat, he heard McCoy grill the two over being 'irresponsible and uncivilised' and he was pretty sure he heard a remark along the lines of 'being on a ship full of spoilt children'. He realised this was the distraction he had been waiting for and slipped out of the door while no one was watching.

He was surprised when he reached his quarters without anyone seeing him, he had to remind himself that it was nearly 02:30hrs and the majority of the crew were in their quarters asleep. He felt safer now he was in his own room. He went to the replicator and ordered a class of chilled water hoping that he was just a little dehydrated from the desert planet he was just on and that after some water and a nap he would be fine again. Sure the doc said he was having a reaction to what he ate, but he didn't feel like he was going to puke anymore and the other end had cleared up too, thankfully, he was _not_ going to have that conversation with anyone other than his bowels. Gulping down the last of the drink and ordering another, he made his way over to the bed and picked up the padd he had dropped on the floor earlier. His hopes of a speedy recovery were put on hold when he suddenly felt a chill and his whole body screamed in protest '_had to choose chilled water didn't I_' he thought to himself. His head felt like it was on fire and splitting in three places, his vision was spinning so fast he only saw black and white, and his stomach felt like it was trying to eat him from the inside out with razor sharp teeth.

Pressing his hands firmly against either side of his head in an attempt to hold his skull together he made his way over to the replicator. Benefit of being a genius, and the captain, he knew how to get the computer to replicate whatever he wanted, including medication. However it appeared the Chief Medical Officer and Spock had discovered his little secret and had reprogrammed his replicator. On a good day he could crack the codes in 2 minutes, and 10 minutes on a bad day. Unfortunately for him this was a bad day and he didn't have 10 minutes…

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**Ooh, poor Jim. Why does he only have 10minutes?**

**All will be revealed in the next chapter...or will it? **

**Reviews kindly appreciated. I know this chapter might suck a bit, it is unbeta'd and I wrote it in between lectures while it was in my head. Still, I hope you like it :)**

**Regards,  
DA.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hiya Folks! To make up for the long wait with the last chapter I thought I would be kind and post this one for you too. It is fresh off the press, I only thought of it about an hour ago while I was studying ecology…funny how the brain works.**

** Anyway, hope you enjoy, next chapter will be posted as soon as it is written.**

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He didn't think it was possible but the spinning intensified, hindering his ability to think and the pain he was in meant he couldn't even stand up straight. In fact he was more doubled over than standing. He was trying to focus on his task of bypassing the lockout codes that were preventing him from replicating any medications but all his brain was relaying to him was '_need to fix it…broken…need something…hurts…why do I hurt?...what am I trying to fix?...what was I doing?'_. His thoughts were scattered when he suddenly felt the glass in his stomach turn into lava and thanked the stars that he was still with it enough to remember which way the bathroom was as he collapsed in front of the toilet and expelled the remaining contents of his stomach in a technicolour that would put most artists to shame. He screwed his eyes shut, not wanting to see. The smell was offensive enough and only succeeded in making him gag more.

STSTSTSTSTSTSTSTSTSTSTSTSTSTST

Bones finished applying the dermal regenerator to Ensign Ortega's reset nose and set the instrument down on the tray.

"Alright, you're done. Now if I have to treat either of you for so much as a broken nail for letting it get out of hand again then I'll have the commander lock the two of you in a room together until you learn to play nice. And don't think I'll be setting any broken bones either, the pain might make you learn something for next time."

"Yes Sir" came the synchronous response from the two ensigns as they got up and returned to duty, so scared of the doctor and his rant that they couldn't walk out quick enough, '_Ensigns, they'll believe anything_' he thought to himself.

Pleased with the current silence of the sickbay as he was the only one there again he began to place the instruments in the steriliser when it suddenly occurred to him that he shouldn't be alone. Turning to face the bed previously occupied by the captain he swore when he saw it was empty. He thought of calling security, but didn't when he realised that he knew exactly where the captain would be. He lived with the kid for three years while at the academy and whilst James T Kirk was the most extroverted person he had ever met, when he was really sick or miserable he would hide himself away from the world so no one could see his weakness. Not that it was a weakness to get sick, the mighty Captain Kirk is still human after all and is not beyond falling ill. Picking up a medical tricorder and a few hyposprays he headed out down the hall to the turbo lift "captains quarters" .

He was about to enter the medical override code when the doors hissed open, apparently Kirk had left them unlocked. Entering the room it didn't take him long to find his friend. The light from the bathroom was filling the room like a beacon, walking over he found Kirk slumped over the toilet, head on his arms just barely holding him up. He put a hand on Jims shoulder a gave him a quick shake, Jim had goosebumps all over him and was shaking but he was hot to the touch _oh, this isn't good _he thought. Giving Kirk another shake his heart skipped a beat as his head lolled to the side and he fell sideways, Bones' quick reflexes being the only thing that stopped his head smacking into the floor.

"Jim? Jim, wake up. Can you hear me?" he knew there was fear in his voice but he didn't care, his friend was sick and it scared him to see him so still and flushed. He was relieved when he got a response  
"hmm.." it was a low growl, but it was a response and he would take it.  
"I turn my back on you for 20 minutes and look what happens" he was sitting there on the floor holding Jim up with one arm with a tricorder in the other hand  
"..ones?.." Kirk was trying to open his eyes but everytime he succeeded they would roll back into his head again

"I got to move you buddy, do you think you can stand?" he was going to add _or are you going to make me carry your sorry arse_ but decided against it. Jim wouldn't find it funny at the moment, even if he could understand what anyone was saying to him in his present state.

"..no.."

"Ok, I'm going to lift you up. On the count of three. Ready?" he was looking around to see what he could grab onto when Jim started to struggle against him, even half unconscious he was still strong

"im, i mean..no" Jim was shaking his head subtly and had a death grip on the bowl

"Jim I've got to move you, just onto the bed I promise. No sickbay" _not yet anyway_…

"not yet" Kirk was sounding stronger much to his relief, but he knew it wouldn't last. If he could just keep him conscious for a little bit longer…he was pulled out of his thoughts when Jim began retching again. Nothing was left in his stomach so it quickly turned into dry heaves. Pulling a towel off of the nearby stand he soaked it with water and held it against the back of Jims neck and held his other hand on Jims forehead so he wouldn't crack his head against the bowl as his body ran out of energy. What seemed like an eternity later, but was really only a few minutes, the heaves stopped and Kirk collapsed again.

Taking the opportunity he laid his friend on the floor, flushed the toilet and began to read his tricorder "Temperature at 39.7◦C/103◦F", _awesome_. Right now the cool floor was actually the best place for him to be if it bought down his temperature, but as Jim began to shiver violently Bones had no choice but to carry him (or rather drag him) onto the bed and apply a cold compress. Placing his arms under Kirks armpits he began to lift when he heard

"wh't we doin'?"

"I'm taking you to bed. You were unconscious a second ago"

"wasn't…just resting"

"right, that's why your eyes were rolled back into your head"

"I can walk, just help me up"

Heaving him up to his feet and holding him there until his brain caught up with the movement Bones was grateful to see that somehow Kirk did indeed still have the strength to stand and they slowly stumbled and shuffled their way across the room to the bed. While Jim crawled onto the mattress and curled himself up into a ball (placing his head on the edge of the bed in case his stomach decided to rebel again) and pulled the covers over him Bones ran back into the bathroom and returned with the freshly wet cloth

"What the hell Bones!" Kirk moved quicker than Bones thought he would be able to when he pressed the cloth to his head

"You have a fever Jim, I need to cool you down"

"Its cold"

"that's the idea! I don't want to give you an antipyretic because the fever is your body trying to naturally fight this, but you can't stay at this temperature."

"I thought you said it was food poisoning"

"It is, but the protein is mimicking a virus. Unfortunately the one drug I could give you to stop this is also one of the drugs you are allergic too."

"Awesome" although coherent Jim was in no way better. Shivers still wreaked his body and his stomach and head were in business for themselves according to the readouts.

"Like I said earlier, you're just going to have to ride this one out."

"Riding? I like horses.."

"What?..oh crap!" Jims eyes were closed heavily and his words came out as mumbles but Bones knew what he was saying. He knew the fever was getting worse and now Jim was hallucinating, and a hallucinating Jim is never a good thing. Reaching into his medbag he pulled out the hypo filled with the antipyretic, he knew that fever was Jims body trying to heal itself in its own way and was reluctant to stop it, but he was also concerned for his friends safety if the fever got any higher. The doctor in him decided to try and let the fever do its job, but if it hit 104 he was loading Jim with the entire hypo. Jim was still fidgeting

"Pass out already will ya, the more you fight it the more work your body has to do"

"..'urts…"

"I know kid" he administered the other two hypos he bought – an antiemetic to control the nausea, and an analgesic to give the kid a break from the pain so he could rest. Racing to the bathroom he grabbed all the small towels he could find and filled the empty fruit bowl with water. Sitting down on the chair he pulled up next to the bed he commed Nurse Chapel and informed her that he will be off duty until further notice and to comm Doctor Tuvix if any patients arrive. With the captain, his friend, now sleeping fitfully in front of him he replaced the cold compress on Kirks head, added another to the back of his neck, pulled the blankets down so he was now only covered by a thin sheet and wouldn't overheat and sat back. It was going to be a long day…

"I got you kid…"

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**What do you think? Loving it? Hating it?**

**Want a few more chapters or want me to wrap it up?**

**You decide and let me know.**

**Also if anyone want to add this to the "Hurt!Jim Addicts" community I would be honoured :)**

**Regards,  
DA.**


	5. Of Fever and Men

**Oh my gosh! Just realised this is the first Star Trek fic I have written. Cool.**

**Wow! I have been completely blown away by the response to this fic. Thank you all so, so much! It truely means alot to me.  
As a present to you I decided to write this latest chapter instead of studying like I was supposed to be doing.**

**Hope you enjoy! :)**

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"I was born in SPACE!" Bones was trying to decide if Kirk was talking in his sleep or hallucinating, and when those unearthly blue, fever bright eyes connected with his own he saw the anger and _was that a hint of fear_ in them. Definitely hallucinating.

"So..What about it?" he decided to respond over the top of the padd he was currently using to catch up on medical reports.

"I don't have to take your stupid test" apparently Kirk could be intimidating even while flat on his back with no clue what he was talking about. Bones was impressed, until it hit him…

_Great_, of all the years he had known Kirk, he was the biggest pain in the arse during his second year at the academy, especially when he was told he had to take the 'space farers' test like everyone else. If you didn't pass it then you weren't allowed into space under starfleet. Unfortunately for Kirk, the test was based on the destruction of the _USS Kelvin_. Starfleet thought if you had the ability to cope in that situation then you were able to cope with just about anything. Kirks logic was that he was born in space and therefore didn't have to undergo the same test as everyone else. At least that's what he told everyone, except Bones had known him long enough to realise that the anger over having to sit the test was a front for his anger _and apparently fear_ at having to relieve his birthday, only this time he was old enough to understand. He had come to terms with what had happened to his father a long time ago, he wasn't angry at him for dying anymore and he was actually proud of him. But he didn't want to actually have to relive it, he didn't know if he could handle that. So he fought it.

Pike knew Jim Kirk too well and made a note on his file sating 'No Special Treatment!', knowing full well that Kirk didn't want to be treated any differently, sure he liked attention but it had to be under his own terms – he no longer used his fathers name as a way to stand out, not after he got arrested for launching his step-fathers antique car off a cliff had been taught a harsh lesson by one of the officers on bringing shame to the name of a legend. Pike also knew that the kid was quick with words and could talk a Vulcan into ripping the wings off a fly, so the message also covered the cadet trying to talk his way out of anything. Still, he was given the option on this one occasion to sit an alternative test, but Kirk being Kirk had to win on his terms…and right now he was trying diplomacy. It never worked, he was too stubborn to accept the offer and ended up having to do the Kelvin test. Which meant that Bones had to spend that night patching him up after he got into a drunken brawl, and spent the next two days putting up with a ridiculously hungover Kirk. Come to think of it that's probably the only time he had ever seen him hung over, the kid could drink a bar closed without so much as a hiccup and still get up at 06:00 for a run. Then again that was also the first time he had drank the illegal Romulan Ale, _and_ he mixed it with bourbon and whiskey.

"Fine, you don't have to take the test" Bones was there when this all took place and had no interest in going over it again with a spaced out Kirk.

"Don't patronise me!" _trust Jim to keep using big words at a time like this_

"Calm down before I sedate you" Bones was in no mood for an angry, hallucinating Jim. Not when he knew from past experience how violent he could become. Jim was normally only violent when he had a cause to be or was out looking for a fight to take his mind off something else, but a sick Jim was the only time he became violent for no reason…alright very little reason, but it was still hazardous to anyone within reach. Bones had been through it on a few occasions over the years so he was desensitised to it now, he had even hit back on one occasion.

Discarding the padd to the side he grabbed out the tricorder. Temperature was currently holding at 103.6, he hoped it would have gone down by now, but over the last 6 hours it had been fluctuating between 101 and 103.8. The fact that he wasn't sweating yet meant the fever hadn't broken yet, and the hallucinations that were steadily becoming more increasing meant that his body was running out of fight. As much as he didn't want to prevent the body from trying to heal itself he was becoming increasingly concerned for his friends welfare the longer it went on. He hadn't had any food or water for nearly 12 hours now and his body was using up its reserves. Bones decided to give it one last attempt to give him something before he administered the antipyretic. He sat on the side of the bed, Kirk now facing away from him asleep again. Putting his arm under Kirks neck and shoulders he managed to lift him into a half sitting position against his own chest to provide support and tried to rouse his friend.

"Jim? Jim open your eyes for me"

"…" his constant shaking and twitching was his only response

"Come on, I need you to take this…drink" holding up the canteen to Kirks mouth he let some dribble inside. It had the desired effect, although too worn out to open his eyes he began to drink

"Slowly! Small sips…that's it" he had to hold it on a slight angle so Jim didn't get too much too quickly. After a minute he pulled the canteen away. If it could stay down for 10 minutes he would give him some more. If water stayed down he would move onto something a bit more sustaining. Food was a whole other ball game, he wasn't ready to put Jim through that just yet.

15 minutes later the small amount of fluid had still not reappeared so Bones took his temperature again – still 103.6 – not a great deal of difference but it was going down, not up and for that he was grateful. Kirk had remained asleep since his last sip of water, it was almost a shame to disturb him but he had to try to get some more water into him, so he lifted him up again and repeated the procedure. He was only getting about 50ml at a time so it was going to be a long process to get him fully hydrated again. He had no facilities to place a urine catheter so Bones wasn't going to be putting him on a fluid line until Kirk was able to go to the bathroom again – with or without assistance.

2 hours later Bones found himself drifting off to sleep when Kirk began twitching harder, then began to moan, before long he was thrashing violently in the bed and screaming like Bones had only heard him scream twice before – both times were when Jim had been ill and his fever took him back to events in his past. Bones knew enough about those times to help Jim deal with the aftermath of such a nightmare, but didn't know its full detail because Jim would never tell the whole story, and Bones respected him enough to never push. This was the worst he had seen though, there was fear in his scream. Pure fear, but mostly it was filled with pain. Whatever was happening Kirk must think he is actually there. Bones jumped onto the bed, grabbed Kirks shoulder and began to shake him to rouse him. "Jim! Wake up, come on" the screaming stopped but Kirk was yet to regain consciousness, Bones needed him to wake up, needed to see into his eyes to know if he was OK. Desperate, he pulled Kirk over his lap and held him against his chest face up and patted his cheek. He didn't realise he was holding his breath until Kirk opened his eyes, at first they were wide eyed and wild "Hey Jim, it me buddy, its Bones. You're OK kid!" the message got through, his pupils returned to normal and he began to see clarity in them. It was then that he noticed Kirk was sheen of sweat on Kirks face, his fever had broken. _Trust Jim to never do things the easy way _he thought. "..ones?" it was only a whisper but in it Bones heard enough to know that in this moment his friend was back with him and was no longer in danger. "You're OK" he repeated, unconsciously giving Jim a quick reassuring squeeze. As that began to sink in, the events over the last 24 hours began to take their toll and they sat like that – with Kirk in Bones arms so Kirk could feel he was not alone, and so Bones could protect him from the nightmares he knew would come, but for now they both just slept.

_To be continued..._

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**Its not over yet...one or two more chapters to go. Will decide after I write the next chapter.**  
**Apologies for the sap at the end - I had to do it, I am a fan of bromance! (in a non-slash way) I was bought up on Starsky and Hutch so I blame my mother. LOL.**

**Quick question: are we liking the layout - is it easy enough to follow? can you tell whos perspective I am writing from?**


	6. Final chapter

**Authors note: I just want to say a massive thank-you to everyone who has been following this story, and especially to everyone who was kind enough to leave a review!**

**I know some of you wanted this to go for another chapter or two, but this was always going to be a short fic and it feels like the right time to wrap things up. Also with this fic completed I can move on to one of the many other fics going on in my head at the moment. So I hope you enjoy this last installment :)**

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Kirk didn't know how long he had been asleep, but he awoke later, still in contact with Bones but he was on his side now with his friend sitting on the bed behind him. He didn't know when Bones had come into the room, or when he had sat on the bed with him, but as he awoke from another nightmare he was glad he wasn't alone. Bones knew not to hover when he had a nightmare, he had fallen into the habit of just shaking him to wake him up then getting back to whatever he was doing to let Kirk come to reality in his own way. Right now though Bones was asleep sitting up against the pillows behind them which meant Kirk had to have woken himself up – _that's a first_. Judging from the looks of his friend though, he doubted Bones had slept in a few days. _How long was I out?_ He thought. He didn't want to move but he felt restless, he felt thirsty and he also needed the bathroom. He waited as long as he dared too but then he decided that if he moved with stealth he could go to the bathroom without disturbing McCoy. McCoy was normally a sound sleeper, unless he was looking after Kirk, then the overprotective mother hen in him made him wake to the slightest noise that Kirk would make. The fact that Bones had just slept through one of his nightmares meant it was a safe bet that he was exhausted and wouldn't wake up just yet.

Kirk returned from the bathroom a few minutes later feeling relieved and wearing a fresh pair of sweat pants, shirt and a jumper he had grabbed on his way into the bathroom. He would have had a shower if he had the strength but right now he settled for a clean set of clothes and curled up on his couch. He felt better, he didn't feel so out of it anymore and the room had stopped spinning which he was glad for, but his stomach still cramped and he still felt like he had been on a three day bender. He was just starting to drift back off to sleep again when he heard Bones stir…"Jim?" _was that a hint of panic in his voice?_ He wondered. "Here Bones" he listened to the footsteps approach his comfy position on the couch, "How do you feel?" he saw Bones eyes scanning him over looking for any sign of the illness as he crouched down infront of him, _he actually makes a pretty good human tricorder_ he mused. He contemplated going with his usual 'I'm fine!' routine, but given that his friend has probably been looking after him for who knows how long he decided it safer to go with honesty – his friend deserved that much. "Better I think. Rooms stopped spinning at least. Don't wanna vomit anymore"which got him the responce of "ah huh, that's why you're still guarding your stomach then…" _can't get anything past Bones_

"A bit cramped, and feel a bit washed out. That's all"

"You're dehydrated. That should go away after you have something to drink." He watched as Bones walked over to the replicator and ordered an apple juice, he pulled a face when Bones offered him the cup

"Just drink it. Your body needs the energy from the sugar" he accepted the glass and took a sip. His mouth tingled with the sweetness and satisfaction of receiving fluids again. He took a second, bigger sip and set the still full glass down on the table again. He enjoyed the cool sensation of it gliding down his throat, but he waited to see how it sat in his still sensitive stomach before he had anymore.

After a minute with no reaction he took another sip. It's not often that he vomited, so each time he did the sensation was unnerving, he wasn't one of these people who could just vomit like it was no big deal, he didn't like it one bit and would go out of his way to avoid it if at all possible. So he sat there sipping slowly on his apple juice to keep McCoy happy and to try to build up some energy so he could return to duty as soon as he got the chance.

After a while Bones deecided it was time to get him to eat something so he went with the traditional bowl of soup. "chicken and mushroom?" not exactly what he was expecting. "Its my grandmothers recipe! chicken is easy for the stomach to digest and mushroom gives you protein" Bones actually looked and sounded a little taken aback by Kirks reaction, then he added "stop being an infant and just eat your soup". That made Kirk smile so he picked up the spoon and stated to slowly eat his soup.

The next 12 hours passed with Jim drinking apple juice and eating soup in between falling asleep on the couch. The nightmares had dissipated so he could rest peacefully and regain his strength. As promised Bones cleared him for duty 24 hours later, but restricted it to light duties until he was eating solids again and back at 100%. He had not anticipated that something so innocent as a food offering could be so hazardous, but now he had learned his lesson he sent a message through to Starfleet informing them that the Drogoan's were acceptable candidates to be offered a position to join Starfleet on the condition that _Lanister_ meat be put on the 'do not eat' list, and attaching another message that it should become standard procedure to scan all alien cuisine before ingestion when on away missions, where ever possible.

The End.

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**What did you think?**

**Sorry for the sucky ending - I know it's not the best. I got a bit stuck.**

**Thanks again for riding this out with me :)**


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